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Gaiien Region: Tier 3 Gym Leader: Belladonna

by Keleri

belladonna.png
Keleri Name: Bryony "Belladonna" Jourdain
Location: Porphyry City
Awards: Venom Badge
Affinity: Poison-type
Age: 26
Hometown: Porphyry City, Gaiien
Hobbies: Video Games, Swimming

Belladonna is a divisive figure, considered to be over-the-top and obnoxious by many, but she is far and away the most popular gym leader in Gaiien. A Gaiien native with mixed second- and third-crossing heritage, she has a strong rapport with poison-type pokemon and has taken in many fierce and independent pokemon onto her teams. Belladonna left home at 14 to challenge the Hoenn League and return to Gaiien, completing its gym circuit in one summer. She received her gym appointment at 18, taking over for the previous leader Amanita, and revamped the arena setup with a webcam that allowed her matches to be broadcast around the world.

Belladonna has been criticized for allowing her gym matches to become overly violent and failing to restrain her pokemon, and it's been insinuated that the league turns a blind eye toward this behavior due to the gym's popularity (and, regrettably, how it enhances popularity, or at least notoriety). However, her gym is equipped with a healing machine and more serious injuries are transported to the nearby pokemon center, and she has never been cited for allowing fatal conduct or 'near misses' that would result in fatality under different circumstances. Other commentators feel that this normalizes dangerous battling and undermines the perception of risk due to pokemon injury.

Belladonna has an unacknowledged rivalry with Nocturna and Polaris, the tier 7 and 8 gym leaders; she feels that her gym should take precedence at a higher tier due to Thalassa Heights and the Elite Four being accessed through Porphyry's port.

Pokemon Roster (Tier 3): Vileplume, Raigar, Mantigore, Tentacruel, Goredile, Varanitor, Arbok, Buzzurgh, Sabotabby
Pokemon Roster (S-Tier): Mantigore, Grendile, Steench, Skuntank, Dragalge, Scolipede, Hellion, Mega Oxhaust(-)